Anna Pham
Hadrian Rezai
Period #2
5-1-2003
Honors Biology
Anemia is a nutritional disease in
which the victim of it suffers from an essential part of the blood called hemoglobin. One of the
essential nutrients needed in hemoglobin is iron, which is a pure material and
has a periodic number of 26, and the symbol of Fe. The loss in this nutrient
affects the body because, without this essential part of the blood, less blood
is made, so less blood can be used for things like breathing, exercising, and
digestion. Though anemia might sound very serious in any type of example, the
actual suffering of the victim ranges from almost nothing to life threatening.
On one hand, the victim might not even realize that they suffer from anemia,
and just and increase in their iron intake will cure them. But then there are
those who become bed-ridden and die because the iron just won’t be absorbed
into the blood. The more serious types of anemia are sometimes called Sickle Cell
Anemia, in which the blood cells start to collapse upon themselves and
start to resemble sickles or scythes. Going back to the lesser effects on
anemia, its can just be cured by increasing the intake of iron in such things
as meat and certain vegetables. Also, a victim might decide to start taking a supplement, in which
a nutrient, or many nutrients, are singled out and made into a single pill,
that one would just have to take once a day, and they wouldn’t have to worry
about their anemia at all.
Iron is one of the
minerals that manufacture the hemoglobin. It is a source of transportation of
oxygen that goes into our blood that goes into our body cells. It helps to toughens up the immune system.
Iron would help strengthen your muscles and aid you in becoming a physically
stronger person. Most of the time is helpful to consume iron in the case of the
athlete, who would need a good amount of iron to stay focused in their game.
The foods that contain iron are not delicious but are
important to consume. Proteins can be found in dark green leafy vegetables,
nuts and seeds sea vegetables, dried fruits etc…
But similar to everything that one consumes, there is
a harmful side to iron. Too much iron can be accumulated and might catalyze the
formation of free radicals, and this can cause the person to have a higher risk
of cancer and heart disease.
So how
do we know how much to take so that we can stay strong and healthy without
having an overdose that could kill us? Well, people have tested again and
again and now have the answer. For a child ranging from 4 to 10 years old
should only be taking about 10 mg of iron. For males ranging from 15-18, the
intake should be about 12 or 18 mg. Men older then that should be consuming
foods around 10 mg of protein. Women ranging from 15 to 50 years old should
only be taking 15 to 18 mg. Women over that age range should be only taking 10
mg of protein.
There are also other sources of iron throughout the
world that can fulfill a person’s need for iron. In addition to dark green
leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds sea vegetables, dried fruits; a person could
eat a variety of meats. For example, a person could eat beef, poultry, sardines,
and oysters.
Bibliography
http://www.vegetarian-society.org/vit&min.htm
Made by the Vegetarian
Society in Singapore
http://www.talonsvcs.com/vitamins/quicklist.htm
Made by Talon Nutritional
Supplements
http://www.anyvitamins.com/rda.htm
Made by Zest for Life
tm
http://www.chemo-sabi.com/Glossary/HGB.htm
Made by chemo-sabi.com
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000527.htm
Made by Medline Plus, Health
Information